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Florida suns while much of nation shivers

Brandy Arias enjoys lunch out on the deck at the Daiquiri Deck on St. Armands Circle with her parents, Susan and Bill Peters, Thursday. The Peters are visiting from Arkansas and were delighted to be able to enjoy the nice weather and eat lunch outside.

Published: Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

The thermometer read a frigid 19 degrees in Ohio when Gene and Phyllis Reichardt left Cincinnati last week and drove down for their annual visit to Lido Key.

Out for a mid-morning stroll Thursday on St. Armands Circle, the retired couple basked in Sarasota's unusually warm weather.

“Wonderful! Fantastic! — You can use any adjective,” said Gene, who stays at the Limetree Beach Resort.

“This is great,” added Phyllis. “We'll go back at Christmas and then come back here.”

As an arctic blast sweeps across much of the country, leaving millions exposed to unseasonably bitter cold, the Sunshine State is living up to its name.

Temperatures will run at least 7 degrees above average in Southwest Florida into next week, a forecast welcomed by both visitors and the region's tourism promoters alike.

To the north, meteorologists are calling for a less than sunny forecast: A foot or more of snow is expected to blanket some areas of the Upper Midwest, and freezing rain is possible in parts of the Great Lakes.

Oklahoma and Arkansas on Thursday faced a possible ice storm, as well. The giant swath of snow, ice and rain is expected to spread into the Northeast on Friday.

Doreen Urban, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant from suburban Chicago, took advantage of Sarasota's warmer-than-normal weather by hanging out along the city's bayfront, after making a stop in Visit Sarasota County's Visitors Center. She and her husband plan to head back north Friday.

“Sunday it's supposed to be 0,” she said of Illinois. “We were going to stay an extra day, but we worried about whether we would make it back or not, because we have to work on Monday.

“It's beautiful down here. Is it always this warm?” she asked.

Well, not usually. The normal high temperature in Sarasota this time of year is 75 degrees, said Jon Jelsema, a meteorologist in Tampa with the National Weather Service.

Thursday's high was expected to hit 83 degrees, and Jelsema said temperatures will likely be in the low- to mid-80s for a while.

“It looks like this weather will be continuing for some time, right through the weekend and into next week,” he said.

He does not expect the highs to reach peak levels — today's record of 86 degrees was hit in 1994, and it hit 87 on Dec. 8 in 1978 — but they will come close.

“But what's great is that it gets people thinking about it, especially when they have these early storms before the holidays. You tend to see people, as it gets close to Christmas, saying they have to get away because it's been bad for so long,” she said.

Haley was in Washington, D.C., on business Thursday, where the temperature was expected to reach an ephemeral 70 degrees. By Sunday, the forecast calls for a high of 33, with snow and sleet, to boot.

Whether it is weather-related or because of the incrementally improving economy, bookings for both transient travelers — vacationers — and corporate business are up over last year at the Resort at Longboat Key Club and the Lido Beach Resort, said Sandra Rios, a spokeswoman for Ocean Properties Ltd., which owns both resorts.

“It is colder sooner and there is a lot more snow up north, so people are looking at their options to spend the holidays here,” Rios said.

“People are feeling more confident in the economy and have more discretionary income. They may take more than one vacation, or maybe two or more shorter vacations,” she said.

Judy Gray arrived in Boston from Israel last week for Thanksgiving, before heading to Sarasota for a family wedding.

“When we first got there it was really cold, like in the 20s,” she said while window shopping on St. Armands Circle. “This is like coming back to Israel, out of the cold and back to normal weather. It's absolutely beautiful.”

The balmy weather makes a great sales pitch for future business, Haley said, and it could not come at a better time.

Starting Monday, the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch will host the 2013 Nike International Friendlies and Development Academy Winter Showcase soccer tournament, an international event with 20,000 expected to attend.

“We're keeping our fingers crossed that all the teams will be able to get in,” she said. “They go back and spread the word.”

<p>The thermometer read a frigid 19 degrees in Ohio when Gene and Phyllis Reichardt left Cincinnati last week and drove down for their annual visit to Lido Key. </p><p>Out for a mid-morning stroll Thursday on St. Armands Circle, the retired couple basked in Sarasota's unusually warm weather.</p><p>“Wonderful! Fantastic! — You can use any adjective,” said Gene, who stays at the Limetree Beach Resort.</p><p>“This is great,” added Phyllis. “We'll go back at Christmas and then come back here.”</p><p>As an arctic blast sweeps across much of the country, leaving millions exposed to unseasonably bitter cold, the Sunshine State is living up to its name.</p><p>Temperatures will run at least 7 degrees above average in Southwest Florida into next week, a forecast welcomed by both visitors and the region's tourism promoters alike.</p><p>To the north, meteorologists are calling for a less than sunny forecast: A foot or more of snow is expected to blanket some areas of the Upper Midwest, and freezing rain is possible in parts of the Great Lakes.</p><p>Oklahoma and Arkansas on Thursday faced a possible ice storm, as well. The giant swath of snow, ice and rain is expected to spread into the Northeast on Friday.</p><p>Doreen Urban, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant from suburban Chicago, took advantage of Sarasota's warmer-than-normal weather by hanging out along the city's bayfront, after making a stop in Visit Sarasota County's Visitors Center. She and her husband plan to head back north Friday.</p><p>“Sunday it's supposed to be 0,” she said of Illinois. “We were going to stay an extra day, but we worried about whether we would make it back or not, because we have to work on Monday.</p><p>“It's beautiful down here. Is it always this warm?” she asked.</p><p>Well, not usually. The normal high temperature in Sarasota this time of year is 75 degrees, said Jon Jelsema, a meteorologist in Tampa with the National Weather Service.</p><p>Thursday's high was expected to hit 83 degrees, and Jelsema said temperatures will likely be in the low- to mid-80s for a while.</p><p>“It looks like this weather will be continuing for some time, right through the weekend and into next week,” he said.</p><p>He does not expect the highs to reach peak levels — today's record of 86 degrees was hit in 1994, and it hit 87 on Dec. 8 in 1978 — but they will come close.</p><p>“At least not in the forecast now. It's really beautiful weather, though,” he added.</p><p><b>Delayed payoff?</b></p><p>While the Northern cold snap will not likely send visitors scrambling down to Florida right away, it could pay off later, said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County. </p><p>“I don't think it's one of those things where someone says, 'That's it, I'm booking a flight right now,' ” Haley said.</p><p>“But what's great is that it gets people thinking about it, especially when they have these early storms before the holidays. You tend to see people, as it gets close to Christmas, saying they have to get away because it's been bad for so long,” she said.</p><p>Haley was in Washington, D.C., on business Thursday, where the temperature was expected to reach an ephemeral 70 degrees. By Sunday, the forecast calls for a high of 33, with snow and sleet, to boot.</p><p>Whether it is weather-related or because of the incrementally improving economy, bookings for both transient travelers — vacationers — and corporate business are up over last year at the Resort at Longboat Key Club and the Lido Beach Resort, said Sandra Rios, a spokeswoman for Ocean Properties Ltd., which owns both resorts.</p><p>“It is colder sooner and there is a lot more snow up north, so people are looking at their options to spend the holidays here,” Rios said.</p><p>“People are feeling more confident in the economy and have more discretionary income. They may take more than one vacation, or maybe two or more shorter vacations,” she said.</p><p>Judy Gray arrived in Boston from Israel last week for Thanksgiving, before heading to Sarasota for a family wedding.</p><p>“When we first got there it was really cold, like in the 20s,” she said while window shopping on St. Armands Circle. “This is like coming back to Israel, out of the cold and back to normal weather. It's absolutely beautiful.”</p><p>The balmy weather makes a great sales pitch for future business, Haley said, and it could not come at a better time.</p><p>Starting Monday, the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch will host the 2013 Nike International Friendlies and Development Academy Winter Showcase soccer tournament, an international event with 20,000 expected to attend.</p><p>“We're keeping our fingers crossed that all the teams will be able to get in,” she said. “They go back and spread the word.”</p>